By the time I made it back to class, the day was nearly over. Lunch had long since ended, and the bell hadn't rung yet, but students were already packing up, eager to escape. I threw the yakisoba bread toward Taka without saying a word. It landed on his desk with a dull thud.
I walked back to my seat at the far end of the classroom and slouched down, letting the weight of the day sink in. The chatter of my classmates became background noise as I shut myself off from the world around me. I didn't belong here. This was a world of normal kids, and I was anything but normal.
The exhaustion hit me harder than I expected. Maybe it was the tension of trying to fit into this ridiculous school life, or maybe it was just the lingering effects of my yakuza life, but I fell asleep before I even realized it.
When I opened my eyes, the classroom was empty. The sun was already setting, and the quiet was thick, like the school had long since emptied out. I groggily sat up, rubbing my eyes. Crap, I overslept.
I quickly stuffed my things into my bag, cursing under my breath. As I slung it over my shoulder, a folded piece of paper fell from one of my textbooks. I picked it up, unfolded it, and saw an address scrawled in sloppy handwriting—the place where I was supposed to stay. At least Yanagi-san had made sure I wouldn't be sleeping on the streets.
I sighed, stuffed the paper in my pocket, and left the classroom, hoping to make it out of the school before anyone noticed. But, as always, my sense of direction betrayed me. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because I found myself wandering aimlessly through the maze of hallways.
Just when I thought I was finally on the right path, I heard voices—familiar voices. I rounded the corner and came face to face with the group of girls from earlier, only now, they weren't alone. A few guys stood with them, leaning against the walls, trying to look tough.
One of the girls pointed at me, her voice shrill. "That's him! That's the guy who hit me!" She held up her wrist, showing off a faint red mark.
I stopped in my tracks. This again? I wasn't in the mood for this.
The guys quickly surrounded me, puffing their chests and smirking like they were about to enjoy what was coming next. Tension filled the air, sharp and suffocating.
"What's the matter, man?" one of the guys taunted, stepping forward. "You thought you could hit girls and get away with it?"
I shook my head, my voice flat. "Look, I don't want any trouble."
One of them laughed, a short bark of amusement. "No trouble, huh? You must be real brave, picking on girls."
I sighed, trying to remain calm. "I'm sorry if she misunderstood what happened. It wasn't intentional."
The guys looked at each other and burst into laughter, mocking me. "This guy's apologizing! What a shrimp!"
They kept taunting me, pushing me back and forth like I was some kind of toy. My patience was thinning, but I did my best to keep calm. Fighting them wouldn't solve anything.
Just as I was about to swing—out of sheer frustration—I stopped myself. I inhaled deeply, forcing my clenched fist to relax. "Look," I said, reaching into my pocket, "how about I give you 10,000 yen as an apology? Let's just forget this."
The laughter stopped. The guys' expressions changed. One of them shoved me hard, almost knocking me off balance. "You think we're bums or something? Trying to buy us off?"
Before I could respond, one of them swung at me. His fist connected with my face, hard enough to make my vision blur. The punch was clumsy, though—he didn't know how to throw a proper hit. I could've easily dodged or fought back, but instead, I let it happen. I knew this would end quicker if I just took the beating.
Another punch came, then another. The group laughed as I hit the ground, not resisting, not fighting back. They took my wallet, grabbed the cash inside, and tossed it to one of the girls, who sneered in triumph.
I stayed down, staring at the concrete. I could've ended this easily, but what was the point? I wasn't here to fight kids.
After a few minutes, they got bored and left, laughing as they walked off with my money. I pushed myself up slowly, the bruises on my face throbbing. At least they're gone.
I dusted myself off and decided to find the nurse's office. My face was already swelling, and the last thing I needed was to show up at my new place looking like I'd been in a street fight.
Navigating the school was harder than I expected—again. I kept turning down the wrong hallways, but eventually, I found the nurse's office. I opened the door quietly, half-expecting the room to be empty.
To my surprise, I saw her.
Haruna was standing near a cabinet, arranging supplies with a sense of precision. Her long hair fell softly over her shoulders, and her calm demeanor hadn't changed since our earlier encounter. She didn't seem to notice me at first, so I stood there awkwardly, not sure how to make my presence known.
Just as I was about to speak, she turned her head slightly, sensing someone was in the room. "Hello?" she said softly. "Can I help you?"
I blinked, still processing everything. "Yeah… I just came to get some ice for my face," I mumbled.
Haruna paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "Yuki?" she asked, surprising me.
I froze. "How did you know it was me?"
She smiled faintly. "Your voice."
I scratched the back of my head, taken aback. "That's… impressive."
Haruna moved gracefully across the room, her cane guiding her as she reached for the ice pack in the freezer. She seemed so in control, like she didn't need sight to know where everything was. But just as I was starting to admire her ability, she tripped over one of the chairs.
She let out a small yelp as she stumbled, managing to catch herself just before falling. Her face flushed red with embarrassment, and she quickly stood back up, trying to regain her composure.
I couldn't help it. A laugh escaped my lips.
Haruna's face reddened further, and she turned toward me with a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "That's not funny!"
Still laughing. "Sorry, sorry… I just didn't expect that."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, I'm glad you're entertained."
I fought back my laughter and tried to look serious, but the image of her tripping was still fresh in my mind. "Here," she said, handing me the ice pack, her voice still carrying a hint of frustration.
"Thanks," I said, pressing it to my swollen face. The coolness immediately dulled the throbbing pain.
Haruna's expression softened, and she glanced in my direction. "Why did you get hurt?"
I shrugged. "Just tripped."
She didn't press further. We stood there in awkward silence for a moment before she spoke again. "You should be more careful."
I smirked. "You too."
Her face flushed again, and she let out a small, exasperated sigh. "I will."
Just before stepping out of the nurse's office, I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder at Haruna. I wasn't sure why I felt the need to ask, but the question tumbled out before I could stop myself. "How are you getting home?"
Haruna, who was calmly organizing some supplies, paused at the sound of my voice. She turned slightly, her expression still composed. "Someone's coming to pick me up," she replied softly, almost matter-of-fact, with a gentle nod.
I nodded, the answer feeling routine. "Right… that makes sense," I mumbled, starting to leave. But halfway through the doorway, I froze. Wait… of course someone's picking her up—she's blind.
The realization hit me like a brick. I felt a wave of embarrassment rush through my chest. How could I ask something so stupid? I stood there, debating whether to leave quietly or turn back. My mind raced, but instinct won out. I spun around, awkwardly poking my head back into the room.
"Uh, I see," I blurted.
Haruna's expression shifted slightly, as if she was trying to process what I'd just said. Then, after a moment of silence, she let out a small, genuine laugh—soft but warm, like a quiet melody. The sound caught me off guard. She wasn't mocking me, though. It was a laugh that felt almost… shared. Like she was letting me in on some unspoken understanding.
I felt my cheeks heat up, and I cleared my throat, trying to recover from my blunder. "I mean… not literally. You know what I mean."
Haruna smiled, a serene, almost knowing look on her face. "I do," she said, her voice still carrying that soft warmth. There was no judgment, no awkwardness—just calm acceptance of the situation.
Feeling a bit flustered, I scratched the back of my head. "Well… I'll see you around, then."
"Take care, Yuki," she replied quietly, her tone light but sincere.
I nodded again, this time more naturally, and made my way out of the office. As I stepped into the hallway, I could still hear that faint, lingering laugh in my mind. Something about that small moment felt oddly… nice. Like for the first time today, something had clicked in a way I didn't expect.
As I walked down the hall, my phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of my thoughts. I fished it out and saw the familiar number on the screen.
Yanagi.
I sighed and answered. "Yeah?"
"How was your first day?" Yanagi's voice was as casual as ever, but there was that usual edge to it, the kind that reminded me he wasn't just asking to be nice.
"It was… fine," I muttered, not really wanting to go into details.
Yanagi let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, I figured school wouldn't be your thing. But don't get too comfortable."
There was a pause on his end, the casual tone shifting into something more serious. "While you're there, I've got something for you to take care of. You know how it goes."
I stared at the floor, feeling the weight of the real reason I was sent to this place settling back onto my shoulders. I had almost forgotten, if only for a moment. "What's the address?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
Yanagi let out another short laugh, this one more amused. "What's the address? Really, Yuki? You know you suck at directions."
I frowned, already regretting asking. "I just need the address, Yanagi."
"Relax," he replied, clearly enjoying this. "I already took care of it. There's a guy waiting outside the school for you. He'll take you where you need to go. Figured I'd spare you getting lost for an hour and ending up at a convenience store."
I groaned inwardly, not sure whether to be annoyed or relieved. "Right. Great."
"See? I look out for you," Yanagi said with a hint of mock kindness. "Just a reminder, though—keep it simple. No cops."
I nodded, though he couldn't see me. "Yeah… I got it."
The line clicked dead, and I shoved my phone back into my pocket. The day had gone from awkward to tense in the span of seconds. For a brief moment, I had almost felt like a normal kid, like the awkwardness with Haruna was just another high school thing. But now, I was being pulled back into the world I thought I could leave behind.
As I stepped out into the fading daylight, I let out a long breath. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't escape this life. At least… not yet.